Page updated 29 April 2026.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has almost 60,000 service personnel across three services – Navy, Army and Air Force. As an institution of government, it should be, in theory, secular and inclusive of all Australians – just like other government departments and agencies.
Similarly, our nation’s most important commemorations, such as Anzac Day, should reflect our modern and diverse country, and be secular and welcoming for all.
Religion in the military
Religion maintains a privileged position in the ADF. Indeed, the continued religious influence makes the ADF, according to former Army Colonel Phillip Hoglin, “functionally, if not structurally, non-secular”.
This remains so even though the ADF has gone from having a predominantly Christian workforce two decades ago to one that is now mainly non-religious. The latest Defence Census (released in December 2024) shows that 61 per cent of full-time Defence members identify as not having a religious affiliation. Read our article about this here.
The influence of religion is evident in a number of key areas of military life.
The current pastoral care model – providing frontline care for personnel, in ships and in units – is religious-based. Only the Navy has introduced secular roles – albeit a small number – to its chaplaincy branch, having recognised that many of its personnel did not feel comfortable speaking with religious chaplains.
While several military chiefs and the minister for Defence personnel, Matt Keogh, pledged to “examine the lessons” of Navy’s secular roles (later found to have “strong demand” among Navy personnel), no reforms have been made in Army or Air Force.
Australian taxpayers also pay for Defence to employ a committee of bishops and other senior religious figures, known as the Religious Advisory Committee to the Services, to provide advice on religious matters. There is no such committee advising Defence from a secular perspective.
Also, the ADF maintains a culture dominated by Christian-centric rites and traditions. Its ceremonies, attended by personnel and the public, include readings of prayers and other religious activities.
Days of commemorations
Religion also dominates significant public commemorations, such as Anzac Day Dawn Services. Christian chaplains preside over such commemorations, reciting prayers and sermons. This makes many people, including veterans, feel excluded.
Our nation’s most important site of commemoration, the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, imposes Christianity in its Anzac Dawn Service. Yet, even though the War Memorial hosts the event on its grounds, it effectively outsources responsibility for the content of the Dawn Service to the ACT branch of the RSL.
The ACT RSL has shown no interest in secularising the event. And the War Memorial simply says “traditions move slowly”. But the War Memorial has an obligation to ensure events on its grounds “meet public expectations”.
We’re helping to raise public awareness about the need for the ADF to make broad secular change.
In particular, we are advocating to the federal government, the opposition and members of parliament to push the three services to make more rapid transition to a modern wellbeing support capability. The failure to do so would have significant detrimental impacts at a time of growing concern about the mental health of our service personnel.
We’re also actively advocating for institutions such as the Australian War Memorial to make commemorations, such as the Anzac Day Dawn Service, secular and welcoming for all people. In 2025, we launched an online petition calling for change. You can sign it here.
You can write to your local federal MP or state/territory senators, or arrange a meeting with them, to voice your support for our positions.
You can also consider helping us to make an impact by becoming a member of the Rationalist Society of Australia or making a donation.
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